The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Apple tree, botanically known as Malus domestica Borkh. of the Rosaceae family, and hereinafter referred to by the variety denomination ‘BIGBUCKS’.
The new Malus variety was discovered as a naturally-occurring whole-tree mutation of ‘Royal Gala’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,121) growing in a cultivated orchard in 2011 in Elgin, South Africa, (GPS 34.154915° S ,19.045706° E). The orchard where the variety was discovered is northern facing and the soil type is loamy soil with 700 cold units in Elgin, South Africa. The conditions closely approximate the characteristics for apple cultivating used in commercial practice.
The new Malus variety was selected by the inventors based on its dark red blush over color, which appears as a solid flush, and which distinguishes the new variety from the parent variety ‘Royal Gala’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,121), where the over color is medium red and the pattern is striped.
The variety was asexually reproduced by grafting onto MM109 rootstock in February 2012 in Riviersonderend, South Africa (GPS 34.144002° S, 19.906522° E). The variety was planted in a larger commercial planting in 2013 for further observation. ‘BIGBUCKS’ has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. ‘BIGBUCKS’ has been observed to remain true to type over successive asexually propagated generations.